1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to vacuum valves used in modular integrated applied processing systems and, more particularly, to slot valves, also known as rectangular valves, which provide vacuum seals between integrated processing modules of the type used to fabricate silicon wafer chips.
2. Related Art
My co-pending patent application, entitled "Bellows Driver Slot Valve," filed Jul. 14, 1997, Ser. No. 08/892,505, includes a discussion of design criteria for vacuum valves and prior art vacuum valves currently used. The slot valve of the present invention seeks to achieve many of the advantages of the bellows driven slot valve disclosed therein--compact design, narrow profile, quiet efficient operation, and low particulate accumulation at the sealing surface of the valve. My co-pending patent application, entitled "Half Profile Gate Valve," filed Jul. 14, 1997, Ser. No. 08/892,506 discloses a gate valve that also achieves the advantages of compact design, narrow profile, and low height, which reduces the area required for mounting of the valve between fabricating equipment and auxiliary components. These two co-pending applications are incorporated herein as part of the disclosure of the present invention.